Crowdsourced Agenda for Free Expression

Search form

Drag-and-drop crowdsourcing tool

DRAG-AND-DROP CROWDSOURCING TOOL

The drag-and-drop tool, launched in October of 2013, formed the foundation for our analysis of Internet users’ perspectives on copyright, and allowed us to come up with the three recommendations outlined in this report, as well as the more specific policy agenda in the Executive Summary of this report.

We designed our questions so that they would lead to answers from participants that reflect real-life examples of the ways that Internet users interact with information and culture online. Once the tool was designed and launched, we conducted outreach in multiple ways (including numerous emails to OpenMedia’s list of over 700,000 supporters) to give Internet users the chance to participate, and ensure a sizeable “crowd” behind our crowdsourcing, as described below.

In creating our drag-and-drop crowdsourcing tool, we aimed to gather information about the ways in which copyright and conceptions of intellectual property factor into the daily lives of citizens around the world. The tool consisted of nine questions, designed to gauge where individuals stand when it comes to multiple issues related to copyright law.40 We wanted our questions to be representative of a wider, more holistic approach to the implications of copyright than that pursued by media conglomerates and their lobbying organizations – we sought an approach that was informed by many diverse groups who have different aspirations for sharing and creativity online. (See “Appendix: Methodology” for more details on the analysis of results from the drag-and-drop tool; for more on the groups involved in the consultation process, see the “Listening Tour” section above and footnote 38.)

Internet Voice

“A free and open internet is the utmost importance in this era of rapidly evolving tech, science and culture. Controlling and monitoring it as described by the TPP opens the door to abuses, censorship and a reduction of the global cooperation that we’ve spent the last 100 years growing towards (albeit slowly and tumultuously).”